Dallas is hoping to notch a home win tonight over the Pacers. If accomplished, the Mavs will have won 10 of 13 to push themselves into true contention for the eighth and final playoff spot in the West.

Chris Kaman’s frustration over being sidelined since Jan. 28 with a concussion caused him to criticize the NBA’s “concussion protocol crap’’ on Tuesday as he continues to undergo tests that might allow him to return to the team’s rotation no sooner than this weekend.

Rick Carlisle’s night began on a jovial note as he compared himself to ‘Colonel Sanders.’ But that game of Chicken became something else altogether on Monday when the coach accused the Jazz of ‘thugging it up’ in the Mavs’ 100-94 loss at Utah.

The second thing that needs to be said as Dallas snaps its six-game losing streak is: Don’t you dare dismiss this as “Aw, it’s just the Wizards” … because in Washington, all things considered, they probably approached this game by saying, “Aw, it’s just the Mavs.”